Documentation

Primer documentation should express the voices and contributions of different people, but for it to be useful it’s important to be consistent in tone and structure.

On this page

Please read and follow these guidelines carefully when writing documentation, so that as many people as possible can benefit from Primer.

Primer documentation principles

Concise but friendly

A large proportion of readers want to find an answer that helps them complete a task, so don't waste their time with unnecessary words. That doesn't mean talking like a robot though: a sprinkling of humor is fine as long as it doesn't make the documentation harder to parse or distract from instructions.

Universally understood

Avoid using phrases or referencing examples that are only familiar internally at GitHub. Assume readers are either members of the public or new to GitHub.

Production quality

Code examples should promote what we'd like to see used in production. People copy and paste code examples as a starting point for building interfaces, and/or reference the guidelines for examples of correct implementation. While examples might be simpler than what we'd use in production, the code should promote best practices and follow our principles and accessibility standards.

Audience

Primer documentation is primarily aimed at GitHub designers and engineers at various levels of experience, but folks in other areas will also benefit from and use the guidelines.

Assumed knowledge

Do:

In design docs, assume the reader knows basic design concepts and principles, such as the need for consistency, and terms such as “white space” or “scale”.
When referring to GitHub-specific terminology, link to a glossary of terms, or another document where the reader can learn more.
When referring to terms and ideas the reader may want to know more about, link to authoritative sources, such as MDN and the W3C.
In non-engineering docs, use code examples as necessary to ensure consistency and appropriate usage, but don't assume expertise in any programming language.

Don’t:

Don’t assume the reader knows about internal GitHub terminology.

Voice and tone

Write as you speak, then tidy it up.
Write affirmative sentences wherever possible.
Be clear and concise.
Use imperative mood, so that instructions are clear.
Remove unnecessary words, like adverbs, and keep sentences and paragraphs short.
Don’t sound like a robot or too formal.
Don’t use sarcasm or irony, they may not translate well.
Avoid double negatives.
Avoid using expressions like “easy”, “simply”, “quick”, “just”.
Avoid idioms, they can be hard to understand and translate.
- Do: “As a general rule”
- Don’t: “As a rule of thumb”
Don't use the passive voice to avoid using the word “you” (but remove it if unnecessary).
- Do: “Open Figma”, “Submit an issue if you find a bug”
- Don’t: “Figma can be opened”, “You can open Figma”, “If a bug is found, submit an issue”
Avoid the possessive "our", and avoid addressing Primer as "our design system”.
- Do: “In the Figma library…”
- Don’t: “In our Figma library…”
Use "we" consistently to refer to the Design Systems / Infrastructure team, not to GitHub as a whole.

Grammar and usage

Follow the GitHub content guidelines (this link is only accessible to GitHub staff), in particular:

Follow US spelling.
- Do: “Color palette”
- Don’t: “Colour palette”
Use sentence case for titles.
- Do: “Utility classes”
- Don’t: “Utility Classes”
Capitalize only proper nouns and product names (this link is only accessible to GitHub staff).
- Do: “Open a pull request"
- Don't: "Open a Pull Request"
Avoid positional language.
- Do: “The list that follows”
- Don’t: “The list below”
Use contractions.
- Do: “Don’t use this class”, “We’re happy to see you!”
- Don’t: “Do not use this class”, “We are happy to see you.”
Exclamation points are OK, in moderation.

You may also refer to the content style guide for GitHub docs (accessible to GitHub staff only), in specific:

Images and other examples

Use this Figma template (accessible to GitHub staff only) to create images that are consistent across Primer documentation.

When creating images with example UI for docs make sure that:

All documentation examples should be of real github.com examples
Examples only include the most important part of the UI, and don't try to show the entire UI
Use meaningful copy (for example, use "New issue" instead of "Button" as the text inside a button)

References

If mentioning or referring to other styles and documentation, always link to the source.
Reference an existing guide by linking to it, rather than duplicating the content. However, if this makes the documentation harder to follow, consider providing that reference in the document itself (for example: spacing scale, abbreviations).

Publishing checklist

Spellcheck text with an automated tool
Spellcheck UI text in image examples
Ask someone else to proofread the document including images - they may catch something you missed
Test all the links
- Indicate links that only work for GitHub staff (for example, "for GitHub staff only", or "only accessible to GitHub staff")
Verify there isn’t any private or sensitive information
Verify that all images include an alt text

Documenting components

When documenting components, consider the core elements needed to convey its main purpose and proper usage within the UI.

See our full documentation guidelines here.

Types of components

Regular: Standard components used to build Primer UI. See ActionList.
Internal: Components used by other components that do not exist on their own. See Overlay.
Behavioral: Components with no real anatomy or structure, rather behaviors. See Truncate.

Component documentation structure

Description

The description appears directly under the title of the component. It may be automatically pulled from component-metadata, and can be edited as needed.

What is this component, and how would you describe it to someone who has never used it before? This description should be concise and shouldn't include usage information, which is covered below this section.

Usage

When to use this component
Best practices
Do/Don't examples

Anatomy

Describe the elements that make up the component, including typography, spacing, and styles. This can also include sub components, if there are any. See Action list as an example.

Options

Different sizes, typography options, layout variations, spacing, etc.
Different applications of the component in context

Interactions

If there are specific behaviors or interactions that the consumer of this documentation should be aware of, it's important to document here. Is it clickable, or static, and does it have any specific interactions based on state? Are there multiple types of behavior, and when does each get applied? See Autocomplete as an example.

Accessibility

Any component-specific accessibility considerations should be documented. This could include keyboard navigation, touch targets, and any specific usage guidelines with regards to assistive technology. See Segmented control.